This book is a collection of handouts designed for adult beginning English language learners. These second language materials introduce some basic ideas on American culture, teach survival English skills, and supplement any standard English language textbook that you use in your class.

All textbooks have generic content that goes out-of-date too quickly. I find that the otherwise excellent integrated skills ESL texts used by community colleges just never have enough communicative practices. My students don’t easily move from the theoretical to the practical without a lot of effort from me. After much testing, I’ve found that “free” online ESL materials need a lot of careful review before I turn them loose on my students.  Personally, I’ve found it more satisfying to do my own materials development.

I created these handouts in two popular slide presentation programs: Keynote and PowerPoint. I convert my slides into PDF, and load them into my college’s Learning Management System, Canvas. Early in the academic session, I teach my students to look to Canvas to find the handouts they “lost.”

Please use these materials to give your students interesting ways to apply what they’re learning. As the teacher, you should localize the handouts. Some are checklists, while others are practices that give practice in authentic English. I’ve used all these materials with my students in the Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s Level 1 Beginning English Literacy class.

I hope that you find these practices as useful for your students as they have been for mine. They are a tool that can help your students learn to confidently speak, read, listen and write in English.

Best wishes,

Catherine Donaldson

English Language teacher

Lake Washington Institute of Technology